Braves sign catcher Travis d'Arnaud to two-year, $16M extension

With an average of $8 million per year, d'Arnaud is now the seventh highest-paid catcher in Major League Baseball behind J.T. Realmuto, Salvador Perez, Buster Posey, Yasmani Grandal, James McCann and Yadier Molina. 

D'Arnaud recently rejoined the Braves after missing more than three months with a thumb injury. The 32-year-old is hitting .223/.277/.369 this season with three home runs and 15 RBI. 

It's been a down year for the California native, who earned a Silver Slugger award in 2020 after hitting .321/.386/.533 with nine home runs and 34 RBI in 44 games. 

While d'Arnaud was sidelined, the Braves went through five catchers, including Wilson Contreras, who was eventually sent down to Triple-A after struggling in the big leagues.

In addition to the Braves, d'Arnaud has also spent time with the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Atlanta is currently first in the National League East with a 65-56 record, four games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves open up three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.